<a href="http://imgur.com/3xBpncU"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/3xBpncUm.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<h3><Font color="Orange">Selling Points</font></h3>
Sublime Text* is written in C++ and Python. There have been 3 versions since the first one came out in 2008.
*Sublime Text* contains 22 different visual themes, with the optional additional themes to download as well as, configure custom themes via third-party plugins.
*There is a minimap feature, which is a reduced overview of the entire file in the top-right corner of the screen*. COOL!
*The portion of the file you are working on is viewed in the main editor pane and is highlighted. By clicking or dragging in this view scrolls the editor through the file*.
*Sublime text offers a number of screen modes including panels that can illustrate up to four files at once. Also it can be limited to one full screen, which only shows one file without any of the menus displayed*.
The program offers a number of screen modes including panels that can show up to four files at once as well as full screen and distraction free modes which only show one file without any of the additional menus around it.
Now you ask what [[coding language->Markdown]] does [[Sublime Text]] use?
<h3><Font color="Maroon">The Journey</font></h3>
<a href="http://imgur.com/2qI6qBo"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/2qI6qBo.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<i>The words used in answering the question "How do you define Digital Humanities?" By Jon Christensen.</i>
The journey of a digital humanities student in English is an extra part of the degree. A student in this program is required to take 1.5 credit or in laymans terms, 3 extra classes over the course of the program. As well, there is an extra class for no credit that is called professionalization. Invited guest speakers come in and who speaks to use of DH in their professions. It is a way to make the connections with the job market in Ottawa, and elsewhere and hear some interesting people. The DH classes were an introduction to theory, a core course which is manditory, and gave me many of the practical side of the digital world. Plus one .5 credit yet to come this summer in Digital Poetry. The classes may vary from year to year.
Let's get started:
[[Learning to Code?]] and [[The World of Text Editors]]
[[Gaming]] and [[Social Media ]]
[[Theories in the Digital Humanities]] and [[Key Figures->Key figures]]
[[Data Mining]] and [[Visualizations]]
<h3><Font color="Blue">SOCIAL MEDIA or Web 2.0</font></h3>
<a href="http://imgur.com/VlhQMA8"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/VlhQMA8.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkdin, Snapchat, Facetime, Google, Tinder, Yahoo and the list goes on and on. . .
I am not a social media newbie or so I thought. I was a long time practitioner at the altar of Facebook, peer pressured into it years ago and I have never looked back. I am a newbie to Twitter, and still not sure this platform is for me. There are times I want off Web 2.0. Find it too time consuming and wonder what influences it will have on our culture and society. Social media seems to dominate many aspects of our lives and has already made many inroads; however, the effects have yet to be considered.
Many academics are encouraged to use Facebook and Twitter to get their research out there. How many times have I sat at a conference and watched academics on their devices live tweeting. I am not sure I completely understand philosophy; however, I do see it as a great way to interact but at the same time, a way to disconnect. However, there is no debate that it does encourage disscussion.
What is considered in the program is how social media is changing our lives and our interactions with one another. How it is becoming a buisness model in promoting yourself or the institution. There was much debate between the students with the concept of personal branding and its use within the academy.The use of algorithms in studying your searches click on while on the web, or Facebook, which sets up personalized ads in relationship to this.
[[Data mining ->Data Mining]] or on to the my final [[reflection->summation]]
<h3><Font color="DarkBlue">Visualizations ETC...</font></h3>
<a href="http://imgur.com/1RKsRer"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/1RKsRer.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<i>This is a visualization I made of Henry David Thoreau's Walking.</i>
This was new to me. Many digital humanitists use various visualization tools to study texts. One can do distant reading as opposed to closed reading. As well, a popular one is visualization and text analysis.
The link below will take you to the blog I wrote on this tool. I is where I posted my assignment, take a gander over there before you come on back and click on a link that will take you on in this journey.
<a href="http://sharonmn63.github.io/">Wordsworth</a>
<a href="http://github.com/Sharonmn63/Overview.md">Overview</a>
For the assignment we used an online visualization tool called <a href="http://raw.densitydesign.org/">Raw</a>.
Or you can go back and choose another path on this [[Journey]] or see what I have to say about the [[Specialization in the Digital Humanities->summation]]
<h3>Let's talk about the yack part of DH</h3>
Yack?
Yack is all about the theories in Digital Humanities. WE talk or YACK. Our discussions are focused aroud cultural influences, material productions, and the worker. Debates on how we are all interconnected through our devices. I have to say there were some great debates! Hack is our work in coding...but I digress...
Below are some links to various articles that look at various theories in the Digital Humanities.
<a href="http://journalofdigitalhumanities.org/1-1/introduction-theory-and-the-virtues-of-digital-humanities-by-natalia-cecire/">Introduction to theory and the vitures of digital humanities</a>
<a href="http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/30">Humanities Digitally Done</a>
<a href="https://mkirschenbaum.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/kirschenbaum_ade150.pdf">What is Digital Humanities? And What is it Doing in an English Department?</a>
Or who's who in [[Digital Humanities->Key figures]]
Continue to my final [[reflection->summation]]
<h3><Font color="Maroon">Final Reflection</font></h3>
<a href="http://imgur.com/JTyx4wM"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/JTyx4wM.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
This section is a personal interview of sorts, that I hope will give you some perspective on the English MA with the Specialization in the Digital Humanities.
<i>In the end, what do I think about Digital Humanities as it pertains to the English Department at Carleton?</i>
Well, that is not an easy question to answer. Within English, I think we do need to use some aspects of it as it pertains the text anaylsis, social media, and how we use various technologies in the classroom. We have come to a point that there is no escaping that DH is a key part of our daily lives, so to not study what it entails. Not to use it would be a disservice to the students that are starting to come through. In saying this, I do see it having a place; however, to what extent, I can't answer.
<i>Have I learn something?</i>
YES!
I have tried to communicate what I have learned here and more! I learned what is behind the scenes is not so terrifyingly hard or that complex.
<i>Will I use all that I learned?</i>
Some but not all, but never say never.
The program is intense. The regular course load in English is taxing enough, and add the extra Digital Humanties courses it can be a bit overwhelming. It did worked out to one extra class a semester. The biggest issude I had was that I found it hard to absorbe all of the information thrown at me. However, with good time management skills the program is quite doable. Plus, it is different than most traditional academic scholarship within the English department. It gives you, at times, a breath of fresh air.
<i>Do I see a place for data mining, distance reading, and text analysis?</i>
I think that depends on the person. For me, no. However, I will never say never and some of my classmates do enjoy this type of analysis and will use it.
<i>So was this course a success?</i>
Yes, I am certainly not the same person who came into the program. I understand the inner workings of social media, how our devices are created, what is happening globaly, how the world is heading towards a open collaboration in the academy. And I can so a small amount of code.
<i>Would you reccommend taking the English with a Speicalization in the Digital Humanties?</i>
Yes. Although the program is still growing it is worth it. If you have any interest on anything that is culturally related through the online community, media studies, publishing, creating a digital online presence, or scholarship, this is definitely the right class for you. You will take what you learned and can relate it into a profession.
[[My final thoughts]]
<a href="http://imgur.com/Que94fo"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/Que94fo.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<h3><Font color="Maroon">Text Editors</font></h3>
In the world of text editors there are many. One of the first projects I did was do a tool tutorial on Sublime Text.
You may ask what is a text editor and why should I use one?
Not all computers langauges are created equal and are able to "speak" to one another. A text editor is a plain text file and a way to write within a computer environment that any machine can read. All programs are written in code; however, most of the time we do not see the code. We just write text and let the editor do the magic. No code involved. However, these seemingly simple environment control and limit what we can do with our own work, how we present it, and many are not able to be read or communicate with other machines. Using a text editor can make your work look more professional and polished.
Let's look at [[Sublime Text]]
This is just one text editor, there are other text editors out there. Just Google "Text Editor" and take a look.
Done with this? Click on the links or [[go back->Journey]] to link somewhere else.
<h3><Font color="Maroon"><em>HTML (HyperText Markup Language)</em></font></h3>
<a href="http://imgur.com/L6pTd46"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/L6pTd46.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
is a simple langague that is used to create webpages, moblie, and web appications. HTML, along with CSS (Casading Style Sheet) and JavaScricpt, are the cornerstones of web pages design.
HTML allows images to be embedded as well as other objects to create interactive pages (Like this Twine). One can created a structured document by using "tags" that delineate how the page looks. All tags are written using angle brackets and the content or the text is written directly on the page. The tags denote the structural semantic for the text. Headings, paragraphs, lists, quotes, etc, all have a particular source code that design how your text is viewed on the webpage. The tags are not displayed on the webpage, but these tags are key to interpret the content of the page.
This primer was created using HTML codes. [[Twine]] uses this simple platform to make it is easy to create narrative.
Here is the handy page for [[HTML->cheatsheets]] code or go back to [[Learning to Code?]]
<a href="http://imgur.com/SWQKtkA"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/SWQKtkAm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<h3>Markdown</h3>
Markdown is a fairly easy code to use. It is Sublime Text code of choice. It's a simple coding language developed in 2004. Markdown is used online for readme file for writing files on discussion boards, uses rich text, and is a plain text editor. It is simple to learn. Markdown is a text-to-HTML language. It allows you to structure a text with a simple, natural syntax place in HTML tags, which is a bonus for someone who is just starting into the world of coding.
<a href="http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/basics/html/">Daring Fireball</a> is webpage explaining how it works, and, gives some good advice on the basics on how Markdown works.
There are various websites with [[cheatsheets]] for using and learning Markdown. It is a straight forward language and does take some getting used to compared to using a Word Program or an OS X program. It is not impossible for the novice, just takes some time.
[[The World of Text Editors]]
<h3><Font color="MidnightBlue">A Journey into the Digital Humanities</font></h3><a href="http://imgur.com/MCuj7gQ"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/MCuj7gQ.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<b><Font color="MidnightBlue">THE PRIMER</font></b>
My primer is a reflection of myself as English Masters doing the Specialization in the Digital Humanities at Carleton University.
Over the past six months, I have gone from having very little knowledge about the digital humanities to having a more complete understanding of what it entails.However, I still do not have a concrete definition of DH but I understand the reasoning as to why we incorporate it into the study of the humanities and any contemporary discipline.
[[Next->Next 1]]
In preparing this Primer I came across a web page that gives you a different definition of DH every time you refresh the page. <a href="http://whatisdigitalhumanities.com/">What is Digital Humanities</a>
Key Figures in Digital Humanities
There are various [[theories ->Theories in the Digital Humanities]] on what the Digital Humanties are and where they should be, and there are many key figures in this debate. I have linked the names with their blogs or University profiles. Many have huge Twitter followings and you can follow them to see what is up in the DH world.
<a href="http://miriamposner.com/blog/commit-to-dh-people-not-dh-projects/">Miriam Posner</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/miriamkp">Miriam Posner on Twitter</a>
<a href="http://liu.english.ucsb.edu/">Alan Liu</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/alanyliu/">Alan Liu on Twitter</a>
<a href="https://english.stanford.edu/people/franco-moretti">Franco Moretti</a>
<a href="http://www.english.umd.edu/featured_profiles/1384">Matthew Kirschenbaum</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/mkirschenbaum">Matthew Kirschenbaum on Twitter</a>
<a href="http://www.adelinekoh.org/">Adeline Koh</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/adelinekoh">Adeline Koh on Twitter</a>
<a href="http://www.people.vcu.edu/~dgolumbia/">David Golumbia</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/dgolumbia">David Golumbia on Twitter</a>
Or if you want to go and see my [[final->summation]] thoughts on the program.
<a href="http://imgur.com/kJfNaBm"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/kJfNaBm.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<h3><Font color="Orange">Sublime Text</font></h3>
Sublime Text 3 was created by developer Jon Skinner in 2008. It is a sophisticated text editor used for code, markup, and prose, as well as note-taking applications and can replace the standard work processing packages such as Word and Mircosoft Office. Many recommend Sublime Text as a standard program for academic and scientific writing or anything else one would like to create and have a professional polished look. It is fairly simple and easy to use. The website states that it is easily read or converted by any machine, and is a <i>Text Editor that you'll fall in love with.</i>
Details or [[Selling points]] of [[Sublime Text->The World of Text Editors]]
My Sublime Text [[Notebook]]
<h3><Font color="LawnGreen">Cheatsheets</font></h3>
Here is a cheatsheets, and tutorial, and a video that give you the example for Markdown and HTML.
<a href="http://www.markdowntutorial.com/">Markdown</a>
<a href="http://assemble.io/docs/Cheatsheet-Markdown.html">Markdown Cheatsheet</a>
<a href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=chr-yo_gc&ei=utf-8&ilc=12&type=994519&p=Youtube+Markdown+Tutorial" >Youtube video on Markdown</a>
HTML Code
<a href="http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp"/html/">W3Schools</a>
<a href="https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0LEVwnvGQlXNdAA60VXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyczhndnJhBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjE3NTdfMQRzZWMDc2M-?p=HTML+Tutorial&fr=chr-yo_gc#id=1&vid=5ebc792a9c8f34d2f147c64a77223ba2&action=view">HTML Tutorial</a>
<a href="http://www.wix.com/html5bing/hiker-create?experiment_id=html%20codes%20for%20websites%5Ebe%5E%7Bcreative%7D%5E%7Badposition%7D&utm_campaign=ms_us_1_e_NEW%5Ehtml_x&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing/html/">Wix</a>
Or look at [[HTML]] or [[code->Learning to Code?]]
<h3><Font color="GoldenRod">Sublime Text Notebook</font></h3>
<i>or what functions I see are the most useful</i>
*Sublime Text works across many platforms, such as, Windows, OS X, and Linux*.
*The system is set up to make finding notations easier and claims to be able to make large amounts of changes to a document at once or just one at a time*.
*Making multiple selections*:
ctl+shift+l to break paragraphs into lines and each line is then edited simultaneously
ctl+D to find the same word within a text
*GOTO function*:
ctl+p allows you to find a function, line, or word between or within files quite quickly with the keying of a few buttons.
*Command palette*:
allows you to set up your document with ease and find things with one or two commands, instead of a combination of complex key strokes and commands.
*Instant Project Switch*:
switches between projects without one having to save your work or having "do you want to save your work" prompts coming up. It will save your work as you go and it will open the program back up to where you left off the last time.
*Trial Sublime Text 3* is a free trial, and no time limit. However, to use the full program and to fullest potential, one has to purchase a license.
[[Plugins]]
[[Sublime Text]]
<h3><Font color="Red">Plugins</font></h3>
A number of plugins are suggested if one is writing academic papers, which most of us do in English...can I say ESSAYS! These include:
<a href="http://packagecontrol.io/packages/MarkdownEditing/">Markdown Editing</a>
<a href="http://packagecontrol.io/packages/AcademicMarkdown/">Academic Markdown</a>
<a href="http://packagecontrol.io/packages/wordcount/">Word Count</a>
<a href="http://packagecontrol.io/packages/Citer/">Citer</a>
Let's continue with the [[Journey]] or go back to [[Sublime Text]], or you can see what I thought of the editor in the Sublime Text [[Notebook]]
<h3><Font color="MediumBlue">Learning to code. . .Who Me?</font></h3>
<a href="http://imgur.com/5gfNsPQ"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/5gfNsPQm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Coding? Really? What is coding and what is it doing in a English department? I am sure it is a great core course for Computer Sciences geeks but not English nerds! Sure we use computers for the bulk of our essays and research but as far as Why code? Other people do that, not us! I met with our Professor Shawn Graham before classes started. I was quite concerned about what I would have to do for this class. I walked away from that meeting concerned and certainly not reassured despite Professor Graham's attempts to do just that.
The first few weeks were hard. I was confused most of the time. Slowly, I came to understand what I was doing, what was expected of me and to see the advantages of writing and using code, although still not completely convinced. We looked at various Text Editors other than the standard software that we by for our machines (CODE for COMPUTERS). Text Editors allows for more freedom to talk with and interact with other machines, for instance, how we set-up a paper. They also allow for open collaborations, a big thing within the academy now. When a new operating systems comes out sometimes they cannot read the older ones unless we convert it and valuable research can be lost. Not something most would want to think about.
I am not a coder but over the past 2 semesters and with practice, I am getting better. I did learn to use two coding languages, [[Markdown]] and [[HTML]], not complex languages but enough to say. . . I CAN CODE!
[[The World of Text Editors]]
Here are some great articles on the importance of learning code.
<a href="http://aaronknoll.commons.gc.cuny.edu/on-technology/on-coding-in-the-digital-humanities/">On Coding in the Digital Humanities</a>Or
<a href="http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/38/">Digital Humanities Moment</a> Or maybe. . .
<a href="http://www.jamesgottlieb.com/2012/03/coding-and-digital-humanities/">Coding and Digtial Humanities</a>
Or maybe you want to head over to my [[final reflection->summation]], but it is not as much as this. . .
<a href="http://imgur.com/NdsakJw"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/NdsakJwm.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<h3><Font color="DarkBlue">Data and Text Mining</font></h3>
Data mining, text mining are interchangeable terms that are equivalent to text analytics. What this process does is derive information from a text that looks for patterns and trends through such means as statistical patterns within the structured data. Data mining looks at a combination of things, categorization, concept and entity extraction, taxonomies, sentiment analysis and document summarization and relational modeling. Text analysis looks at information retrieval, lexical analysis pattern recognition, tagging, annotation, information extraction etc...the end process is a [[visualization->Visualizations]] of information collected to it can be studied at length or as predictive analysis. This type of analysis is used by many to predict trends and marketing analysis such as [[social media->Social Media ]], publishing, intelligence etc... In English is can be used as a new way to look an old text, and for plot analysis.
<h3><Font color="Purple">Gaming</font></h3>
<a href="http://imgur.com/zg0DhVM"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/zg0DhVMt.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
I am NOT a gamer!
I have very little knowledge about games and what goes into the creation of a game. I don't ever play them, my son does, but not me. I understand it is a contentious world, full of controversy. I will not discuss the issues. I will leave that up to the various professors in the department. What I will talk about is what I created. One of the assignments was to use a online gaming program called [[Twine]] (of which I am using to create this primer). It is a simple tool that uses [[HTML]] as it's code of choice. It is quite easy to to master and use. I found it was one of the most useful tools I can possibly use to get students to interact with a narrative.
So click on Twine above or go to the [[Reflection->summation]]
<a href="http://imgur.com/Lo9YsLu"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/Lo9YsLum.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
This DH Primer's focus is to give an interested applicant to the English Digital Humanities program here at Carleton some knowledge of DH specialization in English entails. It does not cover everything; however, it will give the reader some thoughts on what the course is about. Click on the hyperlinks to discover some of what I learned and some of the projects I created. Remember, I was a novice at the beginning. I had no knowledge on how to do any of the tasks assigned.
My favourite assignment of the past 6 months was the creation of a [[Twine]] (open source tool for interactive non-linear story telling). I created a way to teach Transcendentalist poetry that was fun and interactive to a theoretical undergraduate English class. I enjoyed creating it and making it a fun activity.
So let's begin my [[journey->Journey]] over the last 6 months.
<h3><Font color="Blue">Twine</font></h3>
<a href="http://imgur.com/IcRcojU"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/IcRcojUm.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
One of the most interesting projects I had to hack (create) was a game through the use of Twine. Twine is a open source tool for interactive non-linear story-telling, and it was so much fun! I created a game that teaches American Transcendentialist poetry. Maybe not the most exciting game for most, but my idea was to create something that possibly could be used in a undergraduate classroom in American Literature. I have hosted it on a free Twine hosting site called pilome.la.
I enjoyed using Twine so much that I am doing this retrospective on the same platform.
Click on the hyperlink and give it a try.
<a href="http://www.philome.la/sharonmn23/walking-through-poetry/play"/>A Walk Through Poetry</a>
Or go back to [[Gaming]] or to [[Journey]]
If you want to play with <a href="http://twinery.org/">Twine</a>, just click on the word and it will take you the webpage.
[[Final Reflection->summation]]
<h3><Font color="DarkBlue">The "Yack"</font></h3>
<i>Who I am, and my research interests</i>
I'm a self proclaimed lover of anything cultural! My undergraduate degree is a combined degree in Art History and English.
I am passionately interested in pop culture and rise and fall of counter-cultures and the influences they leave on our society. Huge fan of literary theory, feminist theory, and cultural theory, lover of visual arts. Interested media and how mediums interrelate with one another and as well as the historical production of literature. As well, a passion for archival research. Give me a pass to an archive, and something to research and I am in heaven! I love American Modernist texts, love contemporary Canadian literature but have been known to read Victorian novels on the side. You can say I am diverse.
<a href="http://imgur.com/F69Run2"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/F69Run2s.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
In the beginning...
I was positive I could <i>not</i> do any of the tasks that was expected of me. To use a bad cliche, DH was outside of my box that defined English and the humanities to me. I read novels, write essays, do close-readings, write literary analysis, study literary theory, study cultural analysis; I don't code! Distant reading? Excuse me? I had never heard of visualizations. However, I was determined. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears; however, I have accomplished amazing things. Applications I thought I could never do. I have come out much stronger and believing that even I can do many of the practical applications of the digital humanities...even CODE!
[[Next]]
I have to admit that I thought about dropping the specialization many times. Why would I want to drop something I chose to take? I think it was my naiveté in not having a clear understanding of what the course entailed.
Other than my reflection, the second purpose of my primer is to give an overview to anyone who is considering Masters in English and adding the Specialization in Digital Humanities here at Carleton University. By the end of this narrative, or game as you will, I will have charted my progress from where I started to where I am now at the end of the core course. I hope this will give others the information needed to make the choice that is right for them.
[[My First Thoughts]]
For more information, Please contact the Department of English Language and Literature, <a href="http://carleton.ca/english/">here</a>.
If you have stuck this Twine thus far, I hope you have learned what the program can and will add to your scholarship.
I have learned more than I ever thought I was capable of and will continue to advance my skills as I continue with my research and education.
Many thanks goes to my core Digital Humanities classmates from all disciplines, and to Dr. Shawn Graham for being very patient with me.
This Primer is now done!
<a href="http://imgur.com/PQPMQc0"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/PQPMQc0l.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Follow me on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/sharonmn23">Sharon on Twitter</a>
